Military vehicles, including wheeled and tracked vehicles, boats, ships and aircraft, generally referred to as military vehicles herein, are subject to attack in forms varying from small arms projectiles, to larger projectiles, to mines, to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and to roadside bombs detonated from beneath, laterally adjacent or overhead. The forces resulting from such detonations can result in severe damage to both the vehicles and to the human occupants of the vehicles. Other vehicles which require armor protection include, for example, limousines, commercial armored cars and other non-military vehicles used for transporting people or high-value cargo.
Various forms of armor have been developed over the years for the purpose of providing protection to both the vehicles and the occupants. Consideration must be given to the type or types of projectile and energetic force against which the armor must provide protection. Consideration must be given to the effectiveness of the overall armor system in protecting against multiple threats. Consideration must be given to the weight of the overall armor system and to the concomitant loss of maneuverability and speed resulting from the weight. The weight of the armor is often the primary limiting factor, since armor having a thickness effective for full protection may possibly exceed the practical weight limits for the vehicle, in terms of lost speed and maneuverability and increased fuel consumption and similar factors. Finally, consideration must be given to the cost of the overall armor system, which generally increases with weight, thickness, new or exotic materials and/or complexity of the overall system.
In order to meet and provide a range of protection from the variety of threats presented by the myriad forms of projectile and energetic forces that may be comprised in any given attack, various forms of composite armor systems have been developed. These composite armor system generally include a plurality of layers of different materials, the combination of which is intended to provide the needed range of protection.
Nevertheless, new forms of explosive device and projectiles are constantly being developed in the never-ending arms race that has been part of human history for millennia. In addition, improvements in parameters such as armor function, durability and reduced weight are continually sought. Thus, there is a constantly evolving need for ever more practical and new forms of armor to provide protection against these threats.